Canadian Father Sues Dominican Resort for $10 Million After Family’s Food Poisoning
A Canadian man is suing a Dominican Republic resort and its travel agency partners for $10 million after his wife and eight-year-old son died from food poisoning during their stay, as reported by The New York Post.
Stephen Gougeon, along with his family, filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto on Monday, alleging that Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Air Transat were responsible for the deaths of his wife April Gougeon, 41, and their son Oliver, 8, who tragically passed away on December 29, 2023.
The family of four, which also included their son Wesley, had traveled from Toronto to the Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham Resort just after Christmas. After a meal at the buffet, the entire family became seriously ill. However, their initial request for medical assistance was turned down.
“We were all vomiting,” said Stephen Gougeon in an interview with CTV News.
Help arrived only after it became clear that the family wasn’t improving. The following morning, they were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Ashley and Oliver began to have severe breathing difficulties. Tragically, both died from “secondary causes related to food poisoning.”
Stephen, whose son Wesley was just 7 at the time, had to break the devastating news to him the next day that he would never see his mother and brother again.
In his $10 million lawsuit, Stephen claims the resort neglected to follow proper emergency protocols, lacked sanitation, and delayed medical care, which ultimately cost his wife and son their lives.
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